Cooking in ovens at high temperatures for long periods of time often leads to cleaning problems. Food that splatters onto the interior surfaces of the oven is quickly baked onto the surface, thus making removal of the food difficult. If the oven is not cleaned often, buildup of baked on food occurs rapidly, thereby increasing cleaning difficulty. Hence, there is a need for chemical oven cleaners to quickly and easily remove baked on food and grease.
The chemical formulation for most known oven cleaners typically includes caustics, such as either sodium hydroxide (lye) or potassium hydroxide. While many such products are somewhat effective in their ability to clean ovens, they commonly have a high pH and are therefore undesirable because of associated hazards in handling and application. Fumes from such products are hazardous and irritating to the eyes and throat and can also cause chemical skin burns. Accidental contact of those cleaners with eyes can result in severe damage. Moreover, the odors from these products and their reaction to oven dirt are unpleasant. Finally, as oven cleaning products are generally more effective when the oven is heated, all of the above hazards and objectionable traits are exacerbated when working with heated ovens.
As a consequence of the above-noted characteristics of caustic oven cleaners, precautions must be taken when they are employed. For example, good ventilation is required to dissipate fumes and odors. Protective clothing such as goggles, gloves and aprons should be worn to protect against body contact with the cleaners.
The only known commercial non-caustic oven cleaner available is Easy-Off Non-Caustic Formula made by Boyer-Midway. This product has reduced the above-mentioned hazards considerably, but the product is not as effective as caustic oven cleaners.
The present invention involves an oven cleaning composition comprising a terpene, particularly d-limonene, as a cleaning agent. Limonene has been recognized as a cleaning solvent for other unrelated uses. For example, Frazier in U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,505 (Sep. 10, 1985) discloses a disinfectant spray cleanser containing d-limonene. Farnsworth, U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,674 (Jan. 20, 1976), discloses a cleaning composition containing limonene. Matta, U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,488 (Apr. 16, 1985), discloses a d-limonene based liquid cleaning composition.
In addition to the requirement that oven cleaners effectively remove oven debris, oven cleaners must have certain physical properties. Particularly, oven cleaners must have the ability to adhere to vertical and interior ceiling walls for a sufficient time for the cleaning agents in the composition to act on the oven debris.
A need exists, therefore, for a non-caustic oven cleaner, which effectively cleans oven debris and which has adequate physical properties to clean vertical and interior ceiling oven surfaces. The present invention meets these needs with a novel formulation for cleaning ovens.